Interconnection, typically within an enterprise network, of a single network device, such as a server, to other computers or peripherals, may be implemented using a server/client topology in which the server is connected optically to an electronic fan-out/fan-in switch that is connected, in turn, to a plurality of clients. Such a topology is depicted in FIG. 1, wherein optical link 8 connects server 10 to multiple clients 121, 122, 123, . . . 12N via electronic switch 14 and electronic fan-out connections 161, 162, 163, . . . 16N. Electronic switch 14, also referred to herein as a ‘director,’ is often a bulky and expensive component. In particular, a many-to-many electronic switch is usually employed in connecting a server to multiple clients. Under the Fiber Channel (FC) standard, as currently implemented, switch 14 is typically a Layer 2 (Data Link) FC switch. Consequently, it is desirable to structure a Fiber Channel client/server network wherein the electronic switch is not required.